Suspicious death now homicide in Tucumcari (Updated)

New Mexico State Police late Sunday named a person of interest in the homicide of a 33-year-old Tucumcari woman.

Officers responded to a residence at 11:30 p.m. Saturday on Arapahoe Street in Tucumcari, where they discovered Shirley Pacheco deceased inside of her home, said Sgt. Tim Q. Johnson

Initially, police called the case a suspicious death. Johnson said through investigation, Randall Jones of Tucumcari has been identified as a person of interest in what is a homicide case.

Jones is described as a 20-year-old male with brown hair and eyes. He is approximately 5-foot-10 inches tall and weighs approximately 350 pounds, although information suggests that he may have recently lost as much as 100 pounds.

Johnson said Jones was last seen in the Tucumcari area.

“Anyone with information pertaining to this case or to location of Jones is asked to call the New Mexico State Police office in Tucumcari,” Johnson said.

Johnson declined to release the cause of death. He said interest in Jones came after two search warrants were executed Sunday for a vehicle and residence in Tucumcari.

Pacheco is the sister of Jason Pacheco, a 31-year-old Tucumcari man who was shot and killed on Feb. 1, 2007, during a struggle in downtown Tucumcari. A Curry County Jury found Socorro resident James Burleson innocent on June 11, 2009 of voluntary manslaughter in connection with Pacheco’s death.

Johnson said this is the second suspicious death to occur in Quay County in the past week. He said the two deaths are not connected.

Anyone with information about this case contact the New Mexico State Police at 461-3300.